BOOKFINDS

Piece Of Work by Laura Zigman

PIECE OF WORK by Laura Zigman
ISBN: 0446696005
ISBN-13: 9780446696005
Format: Paperback, 256pp
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, deftly writes a comic account of a stay-at-home mother forced back into her former career as a celebrity publicist when her husband is laid off. Due to her years away from the corporate world, Julia Einstein is reduced to taking a job at a low-level agency–one that promotes celebrity has-beens. Julia longs for days with her toddler son, yet is forced to deal with the insatiable and ridiculous demands of former screen legend, Mary Ford. Ford is estranged from everyone in her life with good reason.  She physically and verbally prods Julia when anything is not to her excruciatingly high standards. All this abuse only adds to Julia’s longing for her days when she languished with her son; eating Pirate’s Booty and watching endless PBS shows.  Mary Ford proves harder to keep in line than Julia’s 3-year-old boy–stealing clothes from photo shoots, harassing the help, and constantly making disparaging comments about Julia (even going as so far as to insulting her baby boy’s appearance!).  All of these obnoxious qualities make the reader route for Julia’s success while at the same time hoping that she won’t be able to rekindle the success of this hideous former star.  Zigman, a former literary publicist herself, lets the reader in on the ugly underbelly of publicity–the part that successful publicists never let you see. Bookfinds love this comic insider’s look at the drudgery of the publicity machine. Bookfinds rating: B+